In May of 1942, Herman receives a letter from his company saying that he has been selected—as a senior employee—to be relocated as part of an initiative called Homestead 42. At the government’s expense, his family will be moved:

[I]n order to strike roots in an inspiring region of America previously inaccessible to them. Homestead 42 will provide a challenging environment steeped in our country’s oldest traditions where parents and children can enrich their Americanness over the generations (204). 

Days later, Herman shows Bess the letter and shares the news that he is being transferred to Danville, Kentucky. He says that men from his office are being sent to worse places that have fewer Jews, and that he almost feels lucky. Sandy is happy because Danville is fourteen miles away from the Mawhinney farm. Philip goes out into the street and stands in the rain. He does not want to leave his neighborhood. He feels that he is the only one left who can protect the family. 

The next day, Philip takes a bus to the building where Evelyn has an office. He asks her what it was like to eat dinner with the president. She tells him that it was a special night and that she danced with von Ribbentrop.